pests on Hemlock trees

[Sis]

Has anyone had any problem with Wooley Adelgids on their Hemlock trees? They appear as white, "wooley" covering on the branches and needles of the tree. They may be in the aphid family. My Hemlocks have this and many branches are dying- I'm very upset, since I've had these trees for a long time and never had any problems with them. I recently had them sprayed with a dormant oil spray, but haven't seen any improvement yet. Can anyone who has had these or has any experience/ knowledge please share with me. Thanks so much. Sis

[Oxymel of Squill]

Socrates, I seem to recall, had the opposite problem

[David Bockman]

"Sis" wrote in news:-- [e-mail]:

Yes sis, wooly adelgid is a huge problem these days-- natural stands of Hemlock are being decimated along with landscape trees.

If your tree is small enough, blasting it with a strong jet of water from top to bottom is a good way to start, hitting especially the strongly affected areas.

I use Sunspray Horticultural Oil and apply routinely every 7 days for at least 3 cycles, followed by monthly spraying or if an outbreak is spotted. Don't apply Sunspray if very hot conditions are expected (above 88°F.) or frosts.

It's not practical to spray huge stands of trees or very large individual trees, although if your jet of water reaches I'd say go for it. Followup by making sure the tree has ample moisture and hope for the best.

[bamboo]

You may need to apply a systemic pesticide. Imidacloprid "Merit" has been approved for hemlock wooley adelgid in CT Try googling with the words "Merit adelgid" together and you will get decent results.

[Sis]

Thanks so much. I'm going to research that now. Sis

[Sis]

It's not practical to spray huge stands of trees or very large individual

David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)

sprayed once this year, but I don't see any improvement yet. They sprayed during really hot weather- I hope they didn't cause further damage to my trees. I think I'll buy my own spray soon and try that, using to your advice, Thanks again. Sis

[David Bockman]

"Sis" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Hi again Sis,

Spraying with oil will indeed have an effect, however you have to think in terms of multiple applications to smother the succeeding hatchings of adelgids.